USS John R. Pierce DD-753

The USS John R. Pierce (DD-753) was a destroyer laid down and built in 1944 by the Bethlehem Steel Company and launched on 1 September of that year. The destroyer was in the Allen M. Sumner Class.

World War II Operations

The John R. Pierce undertook its shakedown cruise off Bermuda in 1944 and subsequently operated out of Norfolk through 1945. During this time, she trained destroyer crews and patrolled the eastern seaboard for submarines. The ship finally sailed for duty in the Pacific on 17 June 1945. Her first action involved the attack on Wake Island, during which she acted as an escort for the carrier-cruiser strike force. The length of the John R. Pierce's offensive operations was short-lived, as she was ordered to cease her mission on 15 August after the Japanese surrender. She proceeded to Japan by way of Eniwetok as an escort for a convoy carrying occupation troops.

After the War

During the occupation period after the war, the John R. Pierce covered landings by U.S. troops on the Japanese home islands and assisted in the liberation of Allied prisoners of war. The John R. Pierce provided support to the Chinese nationalists as they battled the communist forces for control in 1946 and on 6 March of that year, she sailed for home from the port of Tsingtao in China.

After returning to the United States on 27 March, the John R. Pierce deactivated and sailed to San Diego from San Francisco where she was decommissioned and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet on 1 May.

Recommissioning of the John R. Pierce

On 11 April 1949, the John R. Pierce was recommissioned and assigned to the Atlantic Fleet. Before sailing for duty in the Korean theater during that conflict, she participated in a year of operations that ranged from Greenland to the Panama Canal Zone. In 1951, she operated in the Mediterranean from Gibraltar to Crete and along the northern coast of Europe.

Korea

On 15 May 1952, the John R. Pierce left the United States for duty in the Far East. She arrived on 18 June in Yokosuka, Japan and then moved to participate in the blockade and bombardment of Communist forces along Korea's eastern coast. On 6 August, while firing on enemy coastal positions, the John R. Pierce was hit three times but continued her operations until October, when she returned to the United States by way of the Indian Ocean, Suez Canal and Gibraltar.

The Accident of 1 October 1956

While in the Mediterranean, just 75 miles from the coast of France, the John R. Pierce was partaking in an aerial gunnery exercise in which the ships' guns were trained and fired upon a towed, flying target. On the morning of 1 October 1956, a shell prematurely detonated in the breech of one of the guns, immediately killing one crew member and critically injuring nine more. Three of the nine would die of their injuries.

Doctors were flown in from the USS Salem (CA-139), which was in close proximity, and the wounded were flown back to that ship for eventual transport to a military transport in Frankfort, Germany. In an unusual twist of fate, one of the injured was Ensign John T. Pierce, the son of John R. Pierce, the ship's namesake.

Retirement and Decommissioning

The John R. Pierce remained in service until 1973. After reporting to the 3rd Naval District in Brooklyn, New York, the ship took on reserve training duties and began two-week training cruises for reservists. On 1 July 1973, the John R. Pierce was struck from the naval register and was sold for scrap in November 1974.

Asbestos Risks

The mineral asbestos was widely installed for insulation and as fire control in each U.S. Navy destroyer through both world wars. While nearly every part of a ship like the USS John R. Pierce offered at least some asbestos exposure, the vessel's boilers and engineering compartments were the workspaces where sailors and shipyard workers were apt to be in danger of inhaling asbestos fibers.

When dealing with asbestos, the highest level of danger to human health happens in situations where items containing the mineral become damaged and breakable, because if the asbestos filaments escape into the air, the particles can be inhaled by those near the hazard. Numerous studies have shown that dangerous medical conditions such as mesothelioma are caused by even modest levels of asbestos exposure. Naval veterans with a history of exposure to this mineral should immediately tell their primary physician as related conditions can often be misdiagnosed.

If you have already been diagnosed with an illness related to asbestos exposure, you may have legal options for compensation. Many have received financial assistance to help pay for medical expenses and lost income. If you would like to learn more about this and treatment options, please fill out the request form on this page to receive a complimentary packet.

Sources:

Destroyers Index